The present invention relates generally to surgical instruments for occluding blood vessels during a surgical procedure, and more particularly to a vascular clamp suitable for closing the suprahepatic portion of the inferior vena cava when transplanting a liver.
Surgical instruments such as forceps, hemostats and clamps, for temporary occlusion of blood vessels, come in various sizes and configurations to meet the specific requirements. For example, the Satinsky clamp, manufactured by Pilling Company, Fort Washington, Pa., is among the more popular and versatile of cardiac clamps and is designed to provide a non-crushing grip on the vena cava. However, the configuration of this clamp and others of the prior art do not meet the special needs in transplanting livers. The problem normally encountered is that these clamps, when used to occlude the suprahepatic inferior vena cava during surgery, do not fully close near the tips due to the amount of tissue between the jaws. This can also cause the jaws to slip off the upper vena cava cuff and produce a potentially life-threatening situation. If by mischance the jaws should slip, their tips might dig into the superior border of the right hepatic lobe of the liver causing lacerations and sometimes difficult bleeding. A more serious consequence might be that the tips penetrate the right hepatic vein.